Celebrities and politicians pay tribute to Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers, the pioneering stand-up comic who broke down the door for a generation of female performers, died Thursday at 81.

Rivers died at 1:17 p.m. EST at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, according to her daughter, Melissa Rivers. Joan Rivers had been placed on life support following a surgery on her vocal cords at a local clinic on Aug. 28.

“Cooper and I have found ourselves humbled by the outpouring of love, support, and prayers we have received from around the world,” Melissa Rivers said in a statement. “They have been heard and appreciated.”

In addition to her daughter, Joan Rivers was surrounded by family and close friends at the time of her death, including her 13-year-old grandson, Cooper. Celebrities and politicians around the country also mourned Rivers’ death on Twitter.